Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-02-12
BIcYcLIsT STEVENS IN MEXICO.
Hard Roads to Travel-In the Midst of .
Dangerous Mob.

Dangerous Mob.
Starting from Canton on Oct. 10,
had expected to reach Kingkiang inside
of twenty days; but calculations based
on my experience in other countries
failed me entirely in China. l found it
totally different country from any of the
others have travelled, both as regards
roads, people, accommodation, and ex-
perience generally. 1t would be little
exaggeration to say that the only roads
in south China (the north may be little
differently are the rivers, and no exagger-
alton whatever to say that the only proper
way to travel is with boat, in which
one can travel as in a house. Strictly
speaking, there are no roads at all, as we
understand the term; only narrow foot
paths, leading here, there and every
where, and yet nowhere in particular; an
intricate mass of tracks about the rice
fields, in which stranger finds himself
hopelessly bewildered to commence with,
and invariably lost at last.
The first day out from Canton, after
travelling, I should think, thirty miles, l
found myself in village about thirteen
miles out. Neither are these pathways
of that asphalt like smoothness for which
an experienced cycler naturally yearns,
who sees the pleasant autumn weather
gradually gliding past, and the distance
ahead still great. On the contrary,
powders and rough slabs of stone, once
laid level, but now more often sloping at
angles that render them precarious foot
ing for anything but goat Or bare
footed Chinaman, are the chief charac-
teristics. In addition to this they are
often not more than two feet wide, and
often rise several feet above the waving
paddy, so that traversing them is feat
really equal to the performance of walk
ing ON a wall. Under these circum-
stances person frequently thinks of
swapping his bicycle for '.pariah yaller,
and Kidding the purp with bullets.
Ta-ho was the first city where the au-
thorites saw fit to favor me with an es-
cort. They sent couple of soldiers with
me to King-gang-foo. They evidently
knew what they were about, for should
have Jared badly had I reached King
gang-foo alone, not knowing the direct
route to the Yamen. The soldiers be-
trayed anxiety as we approached the
city; the mob collected, and, while yet
several hundred yards from the Yamen,
the stones began to come, and wild yells
for the Fan Kwaes rent the air. Missiles
that would have knocked me senseless
had been wearing an ordinary hat only
made dents in the big pith solar topee
had worn through India, and which
effectually protected my head and Shout
ders. I escaped into the Yamen with
but few trifiing bruises and one spoke
broke out of the bicycle, but one of the
soldiers got badly hurt on the arm
probably fractured bone. The soldiers
warned them that / was armed, and un-
til we reached the outer Yamen gate,
they confined themselves to yelling and
throwing stones; several then rushed for
ward and seized the bicycle, but the Off
Gals came to the rescue and hurried me
into the che-hsien's Office. 1t was pam
demonium broke loose around the Yamen
gates all the evening, the mob bowling
for the ssforeign DEVIL" the shouts of the
soldiers keeping them at bay, and the Off
Gals loudly expostulating and harangu-
ing them from time to time, as the din
seemed to be increasing. Proclamations
were sent out by the che-hsien, and,
toward midnight, the mob had finally
dispersed. was then placed aboard a
sampan, and, with a guard of six soldiers,
spirited off down stream. After this the
authorities never allowed me to travel by
bicycle, but passed me on down stream
by boat from town to town, under guard,
until we reached Wu-ching on the Poyang
Hoo, when, by much persuasion, 1 OBJ
tanned permission to take a short cut
across country to Kiukiang, but still with
an escort. Thomas Stevens Letter.